“Temple of Swoon” by Jo Segura (5 stars)

To be fair, I’ve loved both of Jo Segura’s books so far, so I’m a tiny bit biased in saying that this was a five star read. However, it’s a great romance read that is quick and easy for any fans looking for a romantic rendezvous in the Amazon rainforest. Might seem a bit niche maybe, but it’s also completely perfect for a lazy afternoon read. If you’re a fan of enemies-to-lovers, hidden agendas, third act plot twists, or even just enjoy some searing sexual tension, this is the book for you.

Follow along as Miri and Rafa try to trek through the Amazon on their conflicting adventures. Miri wants to find The City of the Moon to showcase its beauty and history. Rafa was sent to sabotage her and keep The City of the Moon’s location a secret. But who hired them? Who will complete their task? And at what cost? These two have a lot of struggle ahead of them as they head off into the jungle, including losing a good portion of their research team, some stubbornness (on Miri’s part), and a whole lot of lying (from Rafa). How is this ever going to become a romance? You’ll just have to read to find out.

Romance: It’s a slow burn (as all enemies-to-lovers with sabotage subplots are), but once Miri and Rafa are alone, it’s anyone’s guess at how they’ll react. There’s some open-door scenes, but nothing overly explicit. Plus, the tension of being separated from all they know, thrust into dangerous situations, and finding themselves (apart and together) leads to some amazingly romantic scenes. Sometimes the trope of an overly nerdy girl seems overdone, but then a story like this comes along and I’m right back to loving it. I will say that one of my favorite scenes is Rafa photographing Miri as a badass research archaeologist. It’s always the most romantic part when someone sees you how you want to be seen, even if you can’t in that moment.

Cons: I might be biased because I loved Jo Segura’s other novel, “Raiders of the Lost Heart”, but I barely found any cons to this one either. If I was forced to be super picky, I might comment that the ‘twist’ ending isn’t very suspenseful. It comes in too late in the novel to make it seem blended in. More of a “oh we need to find a twist so let’s just add this in to see what happens” kind of ending. But it doesn’t necessarily need to be amazing since this is a romance and not an action thriller. So personally, I let it go and still completely immersed myself in the story. I’m not saying you’ll necessarily see it coming. It is a great twist, but it also doesn’t really feel like it needed to be added. So it seems to both detract and add to the ending depending on which camp you’re in. Personally, I feel like third act drama can often just cause unnecessary problems for the main characters, so I wasn’t too keen on it.

Review: I gave this book five stars because I read it in about two days. I couldn’t stop wishing to find out what would happen between Miri and Rafa. The characters are realistic, the feelings are deep, and the storyline kept me engaged.

Clearly any Jo Segura book is going to continue being an automatic read for me, so don’t be looking for anything different anytime soon. We all need a little romance in our lives, especially the kind sprinkled with some crazy shenanigans. Here’s hoping Segura continues to be a rising star in the romance genre!